Oyler: One School, One Year

Friday, Oct 13, 2017 - 7:00 AMCan a school save a community? This program asks just that, telling the story of a Cincinnati public school fighting to break the cycle of poverty. The neighborhood is urban Appalachian - an insular community with roots in the coal mining towns of Kentucky and West Virginia. Before 2006, very few teens from Lower Price Hill finished high school, much less went to college. The local Oyler School only went through eighth grade. After that, rather than ride the bus out of the neighborhood for high school, most kids dropped out. Under long-time Principal Craig Hockenberry's leadership, Oyler School is part of the growing community schools movement. The school has transformed into a "community learning center," where it serves students from preschool through 12th grade, and is open year-round, from early morning until late at night. It has become a one-stop-shop for its students and their families, combining academic, health and social services under one roof.G